With the advent of novel quantum computing technologies, and the knowledge that such technology might be used to fundamentally change computing applications, a prime opportunity has presented itself to investigate the practical application quantum computing. The goal of this research is to consider one of the most basic forms of mechanical structure, namely a 2D system of truss elements, and find a method by which such a structure can be optimized using quantum annealing. The optimization will entail a discrete truss sizing problem - to select the best size for each truss member so as to minimize a stress-based objective function. To make this problem compatible with quantum annealing devices, it will be written in a QUBO format. This work is focused on exploring the feasibility of making this translation, and investigating the practicality of using a quantum annealer for structural optimization problems. Using the methods described, it is found that it is possible to translate this traditional engineering problem to a QUBO form and have it solved by a quantum annealer. However, scaling the method to larger truss systems faces some challenges that would require further research to address.

翻译：随着新型量子计算技术的出现，以及该技术可能从根本上改变计算应用的认识，为探索量子计算的实际应用提供了重要契机。本研究旨在考虑最基础的机械结构形式之一——二维桁架杆件系统，并寻找利用量子退火优化此类结构的方法。优化过程涉及离散桁架尺寸选择问题：即选取每个桁架构件的最优尺寸，以最小化基于应力的目标函数。为使该问题与量子退火设备兼容，需将其转化为QUBO格式。本研究着重探讨这种转化的可行性，并考察使用量子退火器处理结构优化问题的实用性。通过所述方法，我们证实了将这一传统工程问题转化为QUBO形式并由量子退火器求解的可行性。然而，将该方法扩展到更大规模的桁架系统时仍面临若干挑战，需进一步研究加以解决。